


Dog and Doe Flowers

by imnotaperfectperson



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I'm trying my best, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Slow Burn, i think at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:47:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29454759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotaperfectperson/pseuds/imnotaperfectperson
Summary: Inspired by an insta post: "Sirius called Lily a different flower every time he spoke to her and at first it annoyed her but it eventually really grew on her and it eventually turned into Their Thing and Sirius kept having to get more and more creative so he got really into flowers and in a Perfect World he opened up a flower shop and called it Dog and Doe flowers and when James first heard it he said, "should I be worried about the name?" and Sirius and Lily both said, "yes."Basically, Sirius owns a flower shop, Remus runs a tattoo parlor, James owns a coffee shop, Lily works at a library nearby and they're all going to college together. A muggle AU where they weren't all friends before this, though they did all go to the same high school.
Relationships: Alice Longbottom & Mary Macdonald & Marlene McKinnon & Lily Evans Potter & Emmeline Vance, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Remus Lupin & James Potter, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! This is my first time writing fanfiction and my first time posting on ao3, so I’m sorry if this sucks lol. It was just an impulse thing I did at 1 a.m. I hope you like it though!! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! This is my first time writing fanfiction and my first time posting on ao3, so I’m sorry if this sucks lol. I hope you like it though!! :)

Sirius Black loved flowers. Ever since he was a child he loved every kind of flower he could find. He would pick them from the garden in his backyard, at school, from the park, anywhere he could find them, really. He read every book he could find on flowers, trying to memorize what each one represented. He enjoyed making bouquets and expressing himself through the language of flowers.

His parents hated the hobby. They hated anything he did that they considered “girly” and Sirius quickly learned to hide such things. His parents burned the flowers he brought home and got increasingly annoyed at his stubbornness and insistence on learning about them. They forced him to cut his hair whenever it got too long despite his protests of how he wanted to grow it out. They yelled at him for liking the color pink. He was banned from buying anything floral print. He was six when he put on some of his mother’s makeup and was hit for the first time.

He was fifteen when he ran away and he was immediately driven to do everything his parents had ever hated. He moved in with his best friend, who supported him wholeheartedly in every decision. He grew out his hair like he’d always wanted to and started wearing eyeliner everywhere he went. His love of flowers only grew with his new found freedom. It gave him the chance to learn even more about them. 

Sirius Black was a senior in high school when he opened up a flower shop. He wasn’t exactly sure to run a business yet, but he was taking online classes to learn. James wasn’t all that into flowers, but he helped Sirius figure everything out. Sirius's cousin Andromedea, who was the only one of his family members he’d been able to keep in contact with, offered him some money to get started. 

James’ parents also offered the boys financial support. With all the help, Sirius was able to start a lovely little business. 

James opened a coffee shop two years later, after Sirius had started making a real profit off of the shop. They had chosen to go to a local college nearby where they had figured out how to balance out their work schedules with their courses. Both of them decided to major in business.

It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it was rewarding and exciting. They were popular among their peers and were friends with all kinds of people on campus, as they always had been. When people heard they ran their own businesses, they made a habit of stopping in to say hi and buy things whenever they could. 

“Oi, Sirius,” James said as he threw open the glass door to the flower shop. Sirius flinched, shooting James a glare over his shoulder. He didn’t invest in a pretty glass door just for his best friend to attempt to break it every time he walked in. “Mr. Martorani finally uploaded our test scores. Got a 96, which I think is pretty good, given that I didn’t study.”

Sirius sighed lightly and put the bouquet he was holding down. James always did well in school, whether he was trying or not. Sirius wasn’t as lucky, but he did well enough. He pulled out his phone to check his own score. “You’re so annoying. I got a 94, and I did study. I still can’t understand how you’re so smart, given that you act like such a dumbass all the time.”

“Someone’s in a mood,” James muttered under his breath, a teasing smile appearing on his face when Sirius glared again. “I’ll make you a coffee later to cheer you up. Anyway, I didn’t really come in here to talk about grades.”

“Surprising, I mean, you’re always so focused on school, it's practically the only thing you talk about-”

“Shut up! I came in here to tell you that someone’s opening up a tattoo parlor across the street from here. We should go check it out whenever they finish getting set up. Welcome them to the community and all that, y’know?”

“Why would we do that?” Sirius raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

“To establish relationships with other businesses in the area. Maybe we could gain a few new customers or something! We could go under the guise of getting matching tattoos or something.”

Sirius pulled a face. “You just want to get matching tattoos. That sounds kinda gay, mate.”

“You are gay, Sirius.”

“Not for you, gross.”

“Hey, I’m a fucking catch. That’s not what this is about though, building relationships with other businesses is important to maintain a good reputation! Have you been paying any attention in class? The matching tattoos are just a fun little added bonus! Come on, maybe there will even be a few hot guys there for you to…” James wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Sirius gagged.

“No way I will be doing-” Sirius tried to recreate the gesture with his eyebrows while James stifled a laugh. “-that with any sketchy guy from a tattoo parlor. I only date the most elegant and refined people.”

James didn’t bother to hide his laugh at that. “Sure, of course you do, Pads.” He shook his head and walked back towards the door. “I’ll see you at home, yeah?” Sirius nodded and waved to him as he left before returning to his work. 

The next few days passed without anything particularly interesting happening. James was correct, and Sirius noticed all the equipment being moved into the previously empty space across from the flower shop. He wasn’t sure who had bought it, though. He’d seen a couple of different people going in and out, most frequently a girl with fiery red hair and a lanky boy who’s wardrobe seemed to consist entirely of jumpers, but he hadn’t cared enough to ask. 

~~~~

Remus was a good kid. He had never been rebellious. He always listened to his mother and did well in school. That was why his mom was so shocked when she said he wanted to become a tattoo artist. She didn’t have anything against tattoos, but it didn’t seem like something her son would like. He wasn’t a perfect kid and he certainly hadn’t had the easiest childhood, which he had the scars to prove, but a tattoo artist?

Everyone had expected him to become a librarian or doctor or something like that. He almost always had his nose in a book and almost only wore oversized jumpers. Sure, he was mischievous and liked to pull pranks. He wasn’t the smartest or most motivated kid in class. He certainly did not seem like a tattoo artist though, and everyone was sure he would back out.

As shocking as it was to everyone else he told, but he didn’t change his mind. He thought tattoos were cool and he liked art. The idea had come to him one day when he was picking at his scars. He had always hated them, so he had started to draw over them to cover them up. Someone had complimented one drawing he'd made on his arm in pen earlier that day. He wondered what it would be like to cover all his scars up with art and thus the idea of getting tattoos sprung up in his mind. He got his first tattoo later that week and started practicing designs to cover up his other scars. 

Lily Evans was the first to support this decision. They had grown up near each other, but had never been close as kids. Lily’s best friend had been Severus Snape back then, and Remus didn’t particularly like him. Snape hated anyone who tried to be friendly with Lily, so he made a point to drive Remus away as much as possible. He made fun of Remus’ scars and brought up the trauma that Remus had gone through every chance he got. He wasn’t sure where Severus had found that part out, but he didn’t stick around long enough to ask. 

He distanced himself from Snape, but was still kind to Lily whenever he saw her. He didn't talk to many people besides her. He preferred to fade into the background and listen to everyone else gossip. He was awfully quiet and made a point to stay out of drama, though he did know about everyone else's issues. It wasn't too hard to be forgotten in a big school like that. The popular kids were loud enough to overpower everyone else anyway. 

James Potter and Sirius Black had been the most obnoxious and loud people Remus knew. This, consequently, made them the most popular. Everyone else loved them, but Remus had only ever heard awful things about them from Lily. Snape claimed they bullied him ruthlessly and Lily hated them with a burning passion for it. Remus disliked them for it too, even though he also disliked Snape and had never talked to them.

Remus would dislike anyone as arrogant and stuck up as those James and Sirius. He had a feeling Snape wasn't as innocent as he claimed about being bullied by those two, but they did seem like the type to pick on people less popular than them. 

Snape and Lily had a huge falling out in their third year of high school. Snape had essentially manipulated Lily into cutting off most of her other friends, so she turned to Remus. They quickly became best friends. Remus was Lily’s shoulder to cry on and her main source of support. Lily was the first person Remus came out to and she held his hand when he came out to his mother. 

Lily and Remus had decided to rent an apartment together once they were old enough to move out. They had considered living on campus at college, but pets weren’t allowed. Lily wanted to be able to live with her dog and Remus refused to give up his bearded dragon, so living together off campus made the most sense. 

This, of course, made everyone think they were dating, but Lily and Remus had never been more than friends. They thought of each other more as brother and sister, no matter how weird it seemed to everyone else.

Remus was about to start his second year of college when he was finally able to buy a space to open a tattoo parlor. He’d saved up enough money from part time jobs and holidays to afford a tiny area in the downtown area by his college. Lily worked at the library nearby, which worked out well. She was easily able to swing by the parlor to help him set things up before and after her hours. 

Lily had requested the day off at the library for his opening day, ecstatic for her best friend. Lily had invited almost everyone she knew to check out the place and Remus was incredibly grateful for her help. He wouldn’t have been able to do this without her and he was certain no one would have known about the opening had she not advertised it so much. Most had come and gone quickly, only stopping in to say a quick congratulations. Some people even got tattoos, which people liked more than Remus had expected. By midnight, it was just Remus, Lily, a few of Lily's friends, and a lot of empty bottles of alcohol. 

Remus watched in amusement as Lily danced around the room with Marlene McKinnon, one of her newest friends from college. Both girls were incredibly drunk, spinning around the room like idiots. Another one of Lily’s friends, Dorcas Meadowes, was unable to stop laughing, as Mary Macdonald screamed whatever song was playing on the radio. 

“Remus! Dance with us! This is your party, you should be having the most fun,” Lily’s words were slurred as she spoke, but she had a determined fire in her eyes. Remus shook his head, but Lily wouldn’t take no for an answer. She pulled Remus out of his chair and Marlene grabbed the other two girls in the room.

The music was turned up to the highest setting, probably annoying everyone in the general vicinity. Maybe not the best way to get the neighborhood to like him, but it had been a good day. He was proud of himself, and eternally grateful to his best friend for all her support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I apologize for this chapter being so short. It was mostly just background stuff, not very important. The next chapter will be way more interesting, and hopefully longer!! I apologize for any weird phrasing or mistakes, I’m only 14 and am not a great writer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Hopefully this chapter is more interesting than the last one. There’s more interaction, but they aren’t very lengthy since it's mostly just first meetings and all that. Hope you like it!!

Sirius was growing increasingly annoyed with his new neighbor. He had meant to close up and go home hours ago, but he was finishing up a grant proposal that was due at midnight and he needed access to paperwork that was in the shop. He understood that this was the first night the tattoo parlor was open, but their music was so obnoxiously loud, it took almost all of Sirius’ willpower not to go over there and yell at them. 

James showed up just in time, right as Sirius’ patience was about to snap. 

“Weren’t you supposed to close at 7? It’s almost 10.”

“Yes, James, I can tell time. Thank you for pointing out the obvious.”

James rolled his eyes and sat down next to Sirius, looking at the laptop, 3/4ths of a grant application filled out. “No wonder you’re grumpy. Have you been staring at this screen, in the dark, for over three hours?” 

“Yes, but I need to finish this-”

James shook his head and shut Sirius’ laptop, ignoring his protests. “You need to take a break. You can finish it at home. If you need anything from here, I’ll run back and get it myself, okay?”

Sirius sighed, but nodded in agreement. He really shouldn’t have procrastinated because now he really did need a break before he murdered the people across the street.

“Why don’t you go over and greet the new business owner? The tattoo parlor guy?”

Sirius gritted his teeth. “The one with the incredibly loud music that makes me wanna rip my ears out?”

“That’s the one,” James replied with a grin. “Come on, you gotta at least say congratulations. Bring him a bouquet of peonies or something.”

Sirius rolled his eyes so hard James worried they might fall out of his head. “Those represent love, dumbass.” Sirius thought for a moment before getting up and putting a bouquet together. “Yellow roses on the other hand, are a great way to say congratulations on the new job.”

“You’re such a fucking nerd,” James laughed.

“You’ll regret saying that when you don’t know what flowers to get your nonexistent girlfriend.”

“You’re not getting a coffee tomorrow.”

~~~~~

Sirius wasn’t sure what they were doing here. He could see through the window that the owner was having a small celebration and he felt incredibly awkward intruding. When he refused to be the first one to go in, James sighed and relented, walking inside with Sirius trailing behind.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt, we just wanted to stop by and say congratulations-”

“Oh my god, shut up. James fucking Potter,” Lily Evans stopped him mid-sentence, eyes wide as she stared at James. The charming smile on James’s face wavered as Lily seemed to go through the five stages of grief in five seconds flat. Green eyes flashed to calm before turning angry again. Then, she was yelling. She talked so fast James could barely understand a word she said and he certainly had no time to reply. He just stared, mouth hanging open slightly.

Sirius recognized Lily from high school. She had been Snivellus's best friend, which he had always found weird. Lily was generally nice to everyone (except for him and James) and Snivellus was particularly terrible. He acted like he was above everyone and threw a fit if anyone dared to try to be friends with Lily. It reminded Sirius of his relationship with his parents, who had controlled his social life for the most part. 

James and Sirius had always disliked Snape. He was a strange kid and in all fairness, he was really mean.

When they had first met, the first thing Snape pointed out was a scar on Sirius’s neck, which Sirius had gotten from his mother. It immediately put both James and Sirius off, but they weren’t particularly nasty to him until their second year of high school. 

Snape brought up Sirius’s home life in school and started pointing out the scars he’d received from his parents. James threw the first punch. 

Sirius was sure Snape would tell a completely different story, but their rivalry only grew more intense over the years. Lily always defended Snape, unable to see that he had ever done anything wrong. 

Sirius had never really talked to her. James and Lily would insult and tease one another all the time, but Sirius just watched. He had more fun messing with Snivellus while they were distracted anyway.

Senior year, after Lily and Snape had stopped being friends, James and Sirius had attempted to apologize to them. Snape had yelled at them about how awful they’d treated him and how they were terrible people. Snape had been looking for a fight, but James and Sirius just felt guilty. They weren’t exactly sure what had caused Lily to stop being friends with Snape, but they thought it had something to do with them and it had clearly hurt her a lot. They had already felt bad about being mean to Snape, but seeing Lily so depressed made them go out of their way to make things right. 

James had attempted to apologize to her on several occasions, but Lily had become incredibly good at avoiding him. 

Everyone else in the parlor stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. Lily’s face grew progressively more red as her voice got louder, the only noise ringing through the tiny space.

When she finally paused to catch her breath, James said softly, still trying to gather his thoughts, “Are you talking about high school?” He stared at her incredulously when she nodded. “You do realize that we haven’t talked in like...” he paused, counting on his fingers. Sirius wondered how this boy was doing better than him in school. “...like three years, right?”

Lily huffed angrily. “I don’t give a shit. You’re a bully and a fucking asshole. You remember Severus Snape? The kid you were so fucking awful to? I lost my best friend because of you- you fucking-” She stumbled over her words, enough that the rest of her sentence was incomprehensible. “Get out. I don’t know what you came here to do, but no one wants you here.” She turned to Sirius, glaring at him sharply. “You, too.” 

James didn’t argue with her. He left the parlor without another word, looking dejected, the argument clearly already troubling him. 

Sirius grimaced at the memories of high school popping up in his mind. He gave the flowers to the girl next to him, offered a small smile, and said congratulations before running out after James.

Talk about a good first impression.

~~~~

Remus sighed, sitting back down as he watched James and Sirius leave. “You alright, Lils?” 

“‘Course ‘m alright,” she sniffled. 

Remus remembered what James and Sirius were like in high school. They were the loud and obnoxious bullies who everyone seemed to like. Even though Remus had never been friends with them and agreed they were awful, he thought that Lily completely blowing up on them like that was a bit much. They had only come in to say congratulations.

He hadn’t expected them to stop by, but he was fairly certain they didn’t remember him from high school. He didn’t know why they were there or how they even knew about the opening. Lily obviously hadn’t told them. He looked between Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary.

“Did one of you tell them I was opening today?"

Mary shook her head while Dorcas looked at Marlene. 

“Okay, I didn’t know you didn’t want them here. I,” Marlene paused, a guilty sigh escaping her lips, “might have invited the boy Lily was yelling at. He owns a coffee shop nearby and his friend runs the shop across the street. I just thought it might be good for you to know some business owners in the area or something.” She gave Lily an apologetic smile. 

Lily had been picking the petals off of the roses Sirius had brought in, but looked up with wide eyes at Marlene. “They’re business owners? Oh, god, why didn’t you say something before I screamed at them!” Lily hid her face in her hands. “No, fuck, he should be talking to people in the area and I just fucked up a possible business relationship, damn it, ‘m sorry, Re, I didn’t-” 

Remus cut her off, “It’s fine. I don’t really care. It might’ve been nice to establish that connection, but it doesn’t really matter. I know how much they sucked in high school. They aren’t really the type of people I want to have any relationship with, professional or otherwise.”

Lily looked up again with teary eyes. “Really? You’re sure?”

“Really. Don’t worry about it, Lils.” 

~~~~

“Wow, that was a great idea. I think we really made their night there,” Sirius said in an attempt to lighten the mood. James was staring at the ground, eyebrows furrowed, his frown only growing deeper every passing minute.

They hadn’t been the worst people in high school, but they certainly hadn’t been the best. James always looked pained at memories of their first two years there. 

Sirius had always made a point to always be loud in school, mostly because he never could be at home. He did everything he could to get people’s attention to make up for the lack of it from his family. It made him act like an asshole sometimes and he knew it, but it felt better than being ignored. James always joined him in his antics, mostly just so Sirius wouldn’t feel alone. 

While they still very much disliked Snape, James and Sirius had grown up enough to realize that they had been shitty to him. They had changed for the better since then, but Sirius still saw the regret in James’s eyes whenever he was reminded of it. 

Sirius felt incredibly guilty about all of it. He had never been a good influence on his best friend and their treatment of Snape was a testament to that. Severus had been mean back to them, but they shouldn’t have acted that way in the first place. It was James who had made him realize that.

Sirius had run away from home their second year of high school and was disowned the next year. At 15, James had tried to make him feel better with more pranks, but when Sirius was abandoned by his family, James changed tactics completely. He started being more responsible and slowly stopped picking on Snape. Sirius naturally followed his lead without even realizing it. By senior year, they had agreed that they should apologize to anyone they might’ve hurt.

“I didn’t think we hurt anyone that much,” James said quietly, still staring at the ground. 

“Me either. I’m sorry, mate.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s both of our faults. Nothing we can do about it now besides try to be better though, right?”

~~~~

James didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about high school. Back then, he had barely even realized he was doing something wrong. He knew that making fun of others wasn't good, but was it really all that bad if he was doing it to help Sirius?

When Sirius was disowned, James’s parents sat him down and had a long talk with him. He realized that Sirius had never had anyone to teach him how to act properly. Sirius’s parents responded to misbehavior with violence. Regulus was younger than him and never got in trouble for anything, or at least if he did, he never got caught. The Black family was also not known for being nice to others. They were bigoted and traditional. Sirius clearly wanted to be the opposite, but he needed someone to help him figure out how to do that.

James had thought acting stupid and playing pranks on people to make Sirius laugh was the solution. It seemed like a good way to give Sirius back a part of his childhood he had missed out on. 

After talking with his parents, James realized Sirius did need someone to have fun with, but he also needed someone to set a good example for him. So that’s what James worked to become. He still wasn’t perfect, but he wanted to be a better person for Sirius. He knew that he had acted like a douche, so he did his best to make it up to everyone. 

Snape hadn’t accepted his apology and Lily wouldn’t talk to him at all. There wasn’t very much he could do about that, but it still made him feel awful. 

Hearing Lily explain how much he’d hurt her made it impossible for him to think of anything else. He couldn’t think of anything that could make it up to her. She very clearly wanted nothing to do with him, but the guilt was crippling. 

Classes started tomorrow and he should’ve gone to sleep hours ago. Once the clock reached 5, he gave up. Starting off the school year by pulling an all nighter was definitely a good idea. 

He yawned and got out of bed, making his way to the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee. Sirius and James had moved into an apartment closer to their shops after high school. It was near their university and made commutes between places convenient. Plus, Sirius liked to play rock music at full volume at 2 a.m. and James’s parents were tired of not being able to sleep. 

Sirius was passed out on their living room couch, computer still open and papers strewn about the room. James checked to make sure the grant application had been submitted before closing the computer. He pulled a blanket over his best friend and made his way into the kitchen, groaning quietly at the thought of going to classes exhausted tomorrow. 

Sirius was still asleep when James slipped out of the house at 6 to open up the coffee shop. He had three classes to go to that day and was working before, in-between, and after all of them. 

During the summer and breaks, James’s shop was open 24 hours. He slept when someone else was working and was there the rest of the time. Even when he did have school, he usually was open at absurd hours of the night, knowing that there was usually one or two students who needed a couple shots of espresso to finish a homework assignment. 

After getting no sleep, James regretted his choice of keeping the place open almost all the time. It had been a good business decision, though. The early hours tended to be the busiest.

This morning was no exception and despite being absolutely exhausted, James barely made any mistakes, or at least if he did, no one said anything. He was so sleep deprived he didn’t recognize Remus when he came in. 

James held back a yawn and stared at Remus with glazed over eyes, “Hello, how can I help you?” His customer service voice was surprisingly bright and cheery, practiced enough that he sounded fine even when he looked like hell.

“Uh, just a coffee, black.”

James nodded and returned with the coffee, halfway through ringing him up when he paused. “You’re the guy from the tattoo parlor. We went to high school together,” James said, staring at Remus with sudden clarity. 

Remus nodded. “Yeah. Sorry about last night. I didn’t know you owned this place.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s my fault. I didn’t realize she’d be there and everything she said was totally right.”

“Yeah, you were pretty awful in high school. You and your friend were really annoying,” Remus said, the corners of his lips twitching up in a smile as he took a sip of his coffee. James rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the counter. “But it was nice of you to stop by. Thanks for the flowers.” 

James looked back up at Remus, “Oh, yeah, no problem. Sirius is the one who put them together. He owns the flower shop across the street from you.” 

“Tell him I said thanks then, too.” Remus picked up his coffee and turned around, but James spoke up again.

“I will, but uh, could you do me a favor?” He waited for Remus to stop. When Remus glanced back at him he continued, “could you just tell Lily I’m sorry? For everything?” 

Remus nodded, a soft smile appearing on his face. “I will.”

~~~~

James’s first class of the day was ceramics. He had been struggling on what to choose for his elective, but it seemed like it would be fun, so he signed up for it. Frank showed up to work 10 minutes late, which consequently, also made James a little late to class. He was panting as he walked through the door, having sprinted the whole way there.

Of course, the class he had to be late to was one of his smallest. Heads snapped towards him as the door creaked open and the teacher stopped her speech.

“Ah, you must be Mr. Potter. Good of you to finally join us. You can sit next to Miss Evans.” The teacher, Mrs. Lionatra, pointed to the only empty seat left in the classroom. 

Lily looked up at that, her eyes meeting James’s, a horrified look crossing her face. James didn’t say anything as he took his place next to her. Tense silence sat between them until Mrs. Lionatra continued talking.

Once the lecture ended and they were dismissed, Lily finally looked at James, who’d been shooting her glances the whole class. “Remus told me you were sorry.”

James started talking immediately, “I am. I am so sorry for everything that happened back in high school. I was such an asshole and I shouldn’t have acted like that. I won’t bother you or anything this year, I swear. I can ask Mrs. Lionatra if I can switch seats, if you want me to.”

Lily nodded. “I think that would be best. I’m not just gonna forgive you or anything, but thank you for the apology. ‘M sorry for screaming at you last night. Don’t hold that against Remus or anything.”

“I won’t. I- I’ll go ask to switch seats right now.” 

Lily watched him walk up to the teacher, a small sigh escaping her lips. Maybe James Potter really had changed since high school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I’m sorry again for any mistakes or weird phrasing, I’m still working on figuring out how to make my writing flow better. It’s a little choppy, but I tried my best. Comments and kudos are very much appreciated!! Thanks again!! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna try my best to be consistent with updates, but I burn out really easily and I have a lot of schoolwork to do over break. I’m really unsure how much I’ll be able to do when school starts up again, but I’ll try my best to keep posting as often as possible. I'll also probably edit this better tomorrow, it's kinda late rn, but I wanted to post something.

“We’re not allowed to switch seats.”

Lily sighed as she took her seat. James had gotten to class before her and there were still several other empty seats, so she had assumed that was the case. “Why not?” 

“I dunno. I’m sorry, she didn’t give me a reason, just said this was our assigned seating for the rest of the year. I’m really sorry-”

“You can stop apologizing. It’s whatever. You were irresponsible and late on the first day, so now I have to suffer through sitting next to you,” Lily said, a sarcastic smile on her lips. “Just don’t talk to me, okay?”

James nodded and did exactly that. 

~~~~

Remus wasn’t sure what to do. Three of the lights had gone out at the parlor and he had no idea how to fix it. He didn’t have the number for an electrician. He didn’t have a number to call anyone, actually. Lily was in class, his mother was at work, and he needed to open soon. 

After running through his options, Remus sighed and crossed the street to the flower shop. The girl at the counter smiled at him, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Remus nodded, picking at the edges of his jumper. “Do you have the number for an electrician by any chance?”

“Oh, yeah, probably. Oi, Sirius, someone’s looking for the electrician’s phone number,” she yelled into the back room. 

Sirius came out a minute later with a notepad, pulling out the pen that had been holding his hair up in a bun. Remus wondered how he managed to look so effortlessly pretty while doing it. 

It was strange to see Sirius in a flower shop. He didn’t quite look like he belonged there. He had always been the most rebellious boy in school and still kept up the appearance of a rebel. His hair reached his shoulders and he had several different piercings. While he didn’t have any visible tattoos, Remus imagined he had to have at least a few that were hidden by his clothing. Sirius almost always had on black nail polish, smudged eyeliner, and 10 or more rings on his fingers. He wore chains and leather jackets, for fucks sake, the guy rode a motorcycle everywhere he went.

Sirius was the last person you would expect to own a lovely little flower shop, much like no one would expect Remus to be a tattoo artist. 

“What do you need an electrician for?” Sirius asked, scribbling something down, presumably the electrician’s number, on the notepad and ripping out the page.

“A couple of lights just went out.” Remus took the paper.

“Well, Arthur’s on vacation right now, so he won’t be able to help you. That’ll be nice for future reference, though,” Sirius nodded at the paper, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I can help you with the lights. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to do much, but it’s probably better than nothing, right?”

Remus hesitated, unsure if he wanted to accept Sirius's help. From what he remembered, the guy was incredibly loud and disruptive, the complete opposite of Remus. He wasn’t sure if he could handle spending more than five minutes in his company. 

Unfortunately, Sirius was right. He was mostly open after dark and he wouldn't be able to actually do anything if the lights were out and he couldn't see. Remus frowned.

“If it’s not too much trouble, that would be great,” he said, tucking the piece of paper into the back pocket of his jeans. 

“It’s no trouble at all. I was on break anyway.” Sirius shrugged, following Remus out of the shop.

Remus showed him the lights and sat back while Sirius took one apart to inspect it. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Remus spoke up, “Well? Can you fix it?”

“Dunno yet. I’ll try my best. You have a stool I can use? Or a pair of 7 inch heels? I’ll only wear them if they match my outfit, though. Just so you know.” 

Remus let out an annoyed sigh, going into the back to get a stool. “Does anyone actually find you funny?”

Sirius laughed and shook his head, “Nah, not really. That’s okay, though. I think I’m funny.”

“You’re not.”

“You know, you probably shouldn’t be insulting the guy doing you a favor.” Sirius glanced down at Remus, hair falling into his face. 

“Fair enough.” 

They fell into silence again as Sirius pulled wires down from the ceiling, attempting to figure out what was wrong. Remus watched him, not sure what he was supposed to do. 

“Why did you decide to open a flower shop?” 

“I like flowers. Why?” 

Remus shrugged even though Sirius wasn’t looking at him. “It doesn’t really match your… I don’t know, vibe, I guess?”

“I suppose not, but it's a form of rebellion. In it's own way.” He thought about elaborating, but decided to change the subject instead. “Why did you open a tattoo parlor? You don’t seem like the rebellious type.”

“I’m not. It wasn’t a rebellious decision at all, actually. My mom was surprised, but supportive. I just like art and think tattoos are cool.” 

“It’s a pretty badass job. Though, if you had asked me in high school, you would probably be the last person I’d guess would open up a tattoo parlor.”

“I’m surprised you remember me from high school at all. You were always so obnoxious, I didn’t think you took notice of anyone but yourself.” Remus laughed lightly before remembering what Sirius had said earlier. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be insulting you while you’re trying to help me-“

“No, you’re right. I was an asshole in high school. I’m just trying not to be one now,” Sirius said as the light flickered back to life. A smile lit up his face as he jumped off the stool. “Hey! There we go. Hopefully it’s the same problem for the other ones, because I don’t think I’ll be able to do anything about it if not.”

~~~~

“Good morning.” 

While James had followed through on not talking to Lily for the most part, he still greeted her every time she walked in. She never replied, but it was a habit of his and she hadn’t told him to stop, so he hadn’t.

“Morning,” she replied, putting her bag down and getting ready to start class. James couldn’t stop the smile that spread over his face. He knew it didn’t mean anything, but it made him irrationally happy. “What?” Lily glanced over at him, raising one eyebrow.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, but a small smile stayed on his face the rest of class. 

They continued like that, greeting each other at the beginning of class and not talking outside of it, for a week before James decided to push his luck. 

“How was your weekend?” he asked cautiously, ready for Lily to tell him to shut up. 

She didn’t. Instead, she said, “Fine. I spent most of it at the library.”

James bit back the urge to call her a nerd and nodded. “Cool.” 

It wasn’t much, but it was progress. 

~~~~

Sirius was lying upside down on their couch eating popcorn and watching a barbie movie when James came home. He choked on his popcorn as the door opened and fell off the couch, slamming his head on the floor. 

James watched from the doorway as Sirius sat up coughing, scrambling to turn off the movie and pretend like he had meant to do all of that. He laughed softly, kicking his shoes off before joining Sirius on the coach. “I’m not going to judge you for watching barbie movies, Sirius. I’ve seen you do weirder shit.”

Sirius relaxed and sat back down on the couch, this time the right way around. Although it had been years since he lived with his biological family, his go to reaction was still to hide whenever he was caught doing something they wouldn’t have liked. He turned the movie back on and pulled a blanket over the two of them. “How was your day?”

“Pretty good, actually,” James said, a smile lighting up his face. “Lily said good morning back to me and actually answered me when I asked her how her weekend was.”

“What did she say?”

“Just that she spent it at the library.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows, snorting a little, “Wow, you’re awfully excited over the fact that Lily spent her weekend at the library.”

James threw a piece of popcorn at him, shaking his head. “I’m just glad she’s tolerating me. It’s not like we’re friends, but she doesn’t seem to hate me as much anymore.”

“Nice, dude. I talked to her friend today.”

“Cute tattoo parlor boy?”

Sirius nodded. “Some of his lights went out. He told me I wasn’t funny.”

“Smart guy.” James laughed at Sirius’s pout. “What’s he like? He went to high school with us, right? Didn’t really talk to anyone?”

“Mhm. He’s nice enough. Dunno why he didn’t have more friends, though. He’s a little awkward, but he seems like the type of guy who could get along with anyone.”

“Maybe he’s just not much of a talker?” James suggested.

“That’s what I thought, but he was asking me questions and stuff when he didn’t have to.”

“He probably just couldn’t help himself. I mean, you’re so mysterious and intriguing, how could anyone pass up the opportunity to ask you questions?”

“You’re such a fucking idiot.”

~~~~

“The wiring in this building is pretty fucked up. It’s been years since it was done, so it’s not up to code at all. You’ll have to ask Arthur to redo all of it when he gets back. I can fix the lights temporarily, but it’s not a permanent solution,” Sirius said, attempting to avoid getting electrocuted while trying to fix another one of Remus’s lights. It was a much harder task when it was 8 p.m. and there was no natural light to help Sirius see what he was doing. 

“How much do you think that’ll cost?” 

“Dunno. Probably a lot. He might give you a discount though since you're a new business. I can talk to him about it, if you like.”

“That would be great, please do. I’m not making any money off this place yet, so I don’t know how I’ll be able to afford getting the whole place rewired.” Remus groaned at the thought.

“Yeah, it took me a while to start making any profit off my place, too.”

Remus was quickly starting to realize how much being friends with Sirius would benefit him. Sirius had already run a small business for a couple of years and clearly knew a lot more than him. He knew the people around here and had already formed connections with them. Plus, he was fixing Remus's lights for free, so he couldn't be all that bad.

“How did you learn to fix lights like that?”

“I lived in a pretty big house when I was younger. It took everyone a while to notice when things were broken and I didn’t wanna get blamed for it, so I just learned how to fix a lot of things.” Sirius shrugged. “What about you?”

“Hm?”

“Where did you grow up?”

Remus was caught slightly off-guard by the question. It was a fairly normal one, but he wasn’t used to talking to people besides Lily, who already knew everything about him. He hadn't been asked about himself very often. “Uh, just a tiny house with my mum, not too far away from here. Lily was my neighbor.”

“Ah, so you lived near Snape, too?”

Remus hesitated before answering slowly, “Yes…?”

“You never talked to him much.”

“He didn’t really like me.”

“Did he really like anyone besides Lily?” Remus laughed softly and Sirius rephrased what he actually wanted to say. “You never talked to anyone, though.”

“There was never anyone I wanted to talk to.”

“So do you actually want to talk to me now, or are you just trying to fill up what would otherwise be awkward silence?” Sirius stopped his work for a minute to look down at Remus from the stool. It was hard to see what expression he wore in the dimly lit space, but Remus could see the small smile on his lips. 

Remus thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure. Originally, it had been the latter, but it was nice to talk to someone new for once. He felt slightly guilty for it, knowing the disdain his best friend held for Sirius and James. “A little bit of both, I guess.”

Sirius seemed satisfied with the answer and continued fiddling with the wires in the light. “So, you don’t have any siblings?”

Remus shook his head, forgetting that Sirius wasn’t looking at him. “Nah, just me. Do you?” 

“Yeah, I have two brothers. Regulus is my younger brother, but I haven’t seen him since high school. James isn’t my biological brother, but I consider him more of my family than anyone else.” Sirius didn’t elaborate and Remus didn’t pry. The light flickered on a moment later and Sirius hopped back down, once again several inches shorter than Remus. “Are you actually any good at tattoos, or did I just waste my time fixing lights for a guy who’s going to go out of business soon?”

Remus was caught off-guard again by the change in subject. He shrugged before saying, “I dunno. I think I'm pretty good at art, but not many people come by here.”

“Show me something you’ve done.” 

Remus thought for a minute before pulling up the sleeve of his jumper, revealing an intricate tattoo of the phases of the moon on his forearm. Sirius had to stop himself from reaching out and running his fingers over it. 

“You did that yourself?”

Remus nodded and pulled his sleeve down. He walked into the back, leaving Sirius confused for a minute before emerging with a book, a small smile on his face as he handed it to him.

Sirius flipped through the pages, looking at the various tattoos Remus had given his friends and at the detailed drawings he'd made. He couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on his face when he found a few accurate drawings of various flowers. 

“You’re gonna be fine, mate,” Sirius said, looking up at Remus again. He looked like he wanted to say more, but the bell chimed, alerting Remus that he had a customer. “I should probably head home, but if you ever need any flowers for reference or something, you can come by anytime. And also for any electrical issues, obviously.” 

~~~~

The next few weeks of class went over well. Mrs. Loinatra was focused on outlining the details of the course and spent a week explaining their first project. It was fairly simple, just creating a small cup. 

James and Lily hadn’t talked much, outside of greetings and asking about one another’s weekends and such. They weren’t friends by any means, but they could tolerate each other.

The room was silent as everyone started working on their own block of clay. About halfway through the class, James stole a glance at Lily’s cup.

He stifled a laugh. It was stupid and immature, but he just couldn’t help it. He may have grown a lot responsibility wise, but he still had the humor of a middle schooler. 

Lily glared at him and he couldn’t stop himself from giggling. He sounded like a child, but he couldn’t shut himself up. Lily was knuckle deep in a piece of clay and had clearly tried to wipe her face because there was clay smeared along her cheeks, forehead, and hair. 

She looked simultaneously ridiculous and adorable, despite the death stare she was giving him. “What the hell are you laughing at?”

James managed to compose himself long enough to say, “I’m sorry, it’s stupid.”

“Come on, asshole. Just spit it out.”

James took a deep breath and pointed at her clay, “it just- it just looks like you’re fingering the clay and I-” he broke off in another fit of giggles. Lily stared at him, absolutely dumbstruck. 

“You’re such a dumbass.” She shook her head in disbelief before looking down at her clay. In all fairness, that is what it looked like. She glanced over at James, who couldn’t seem to stop giggling and let out a soft laugh of her own. 

His smile only grew wider. “Did you just laugh at something I said? Did I make Lily Evans laugh?”

Lily shook her head. “I was laughing at you, not with you. There’s a difference, not that I expect you to be able to understand a complicated concept like that.

James pretended to clutch his chest, careful to avoid getting clay on his shirt. “I’m hurt. I can’t believe you could ever say something so mean to me, Evans.”

“Shut up, Potter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, sorry for whatever this chapter was. I have no idea how to write a plot and I’m trying not to rush anything, I just don’t know how to do that. Thank you for reading though and I really appreciate all of the comments and kudos!! It helps keep me motivated to continue writing this :)


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